Leadership—If you’re going to fly the plane, pick the perfect co-pilot:

It is not who you are. It’s what you do with your position.

Zachariah 9:9 is the 700-year prediction of the Palm Sunday entry of an unusual leader into the city riding a beast of burden rather than a chariot of privilege with tinted windows and surrounded by bodyguards. This king will wear a towel to wash feet, feed the hungry, raise the dead and ultimately give up his life to save the rich and famous and the least among us.

Behold, your king is coming to you; He is righteous and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, even on a colt, the foal of a donkey. Zachariah 9:9.

This scripture is generally reserved for “Passion Week” but truth has relevance no matter the tradition. Tradition is a guide and not a jailer. Recent headlines beg the question: What is the perfect companion of authority, so we don’t completely lose our way, or worse, crash and burn? In this scripture, kingship   and humility are held in sacred juxtaposition, qualities seldom demonstrated in concert, especially these days—a person with the highest authority with the lowest mindset—to save, serve and do right with the power endowed to those in leadership.

It wasn’t his crown that defined his authority. It was His blood stained robe. Humility was his co-pilot.

How does this cooperation of authority and humility look like today? Consider this story courtesy of Quora.com of an unnamed pilot of (let’s call it), Flight 9:9, who flew his passengers on a trip to Humility:

           A young woman sat next to an elderly man on a plane. She alerted the flight attendant when she took her seat. "Please find me another seat immediately." She replied, "I'm sorry, madam, but the economy cabin is full." The woman replied, "But I'm not going to travel with a useless old man. Do something!"

While the old man stared at him incredulously, the flight attendant replied, "I'll speak to the captain about it."  The flight attendant went to see the captain and asked him, "Captain, a woman feels uncomfortable sitting next to a poor old man. What should we do?" To his great surprise, he said, "This woman is interesting. I've never encountered a problem like this. I have a plan. Listen.”

A few minutes later, the flight attendant

returned. "The captain told us we could use an empty seat in first class. He also wanted to apologize for forcing us to travel with such an unpleasant person."  As the woman rose from her seat, the flight attendant extended her arm towards the old man. "Sir, please follow me." The plane applauded.

Never look down on others. We are all equal in the eyes of God. Whatever your accomplishments, remain humble and keep your feet on the ground.

 If you’re going to lead, dressing up with crown and robe won’t give you authority. Riding around in guarded limos and posting yourself in AI generated images bathed in dramatic lighting and angelic settings won’t gain you a loyal following.

If you’re going to fly the plane, pick the perfect co-pilot—humility.

---

Gift yourself or some one else a story of humility and forgiveness: A Forging Fire at aforgivingfire.com.